Monadenium orobanchoides (Red leaves) ES 16466

It is an elegant caudiciform exemplar of the African continent, consisting of a woody and strongly swollen base that does not exceed about 5 cm in diameter but tends with growth to develop peculiar asymmetric and twisted shapes, such as to make each piece absolutely unique. The caudex, covered by a rough and veined bark, besides being particularly appreciated for the bonsai shape that gives the specimen, performs in nature the important function of water reserve, fundamental for drought periods. From the stem depart during the vegetative season thin stems adorned with ovoid shapes, flat and wide, ending at the apex in a slight tip; the epidermis is tinged with a delicate soft green hue, covered by a microscopic down that makes it velvety to the touch and elegantly opaque. The overall appearance becomes decidedly original and refined at the same time when small clusters of delicate whitish flowers veined of green and pink blossoms bloom among the foliage!